U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DAI VAN TRAN, age 33, of New Orleans, was sentenced yesterday for attempting to possess with intent to distribute almost two kilograms of ethylone.
U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman sentenced TRAN to 36 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment of one hundred dollars.
According to court records, on March 19, 2014, the United States Postal Inspection Service in New Orleans identified an International Express Mail parcel from China addressed to a local restaurant that contained approximately two kilograms of ethylone powder. Ethylone, a drug similar to MDMA (“ecstasy" or “molly"), is an isomer of butylone, which was prohibited as a Schedule I drug controlled substance earlier in 2014. Postal Inspectors removed the ethylone from the intercepted parcel and replaced it with two kilograms of a decoy non-drug powder in anticipation of making an undercover delivery of the parcel on the following day. TRAN eventually appeared at the restaurant and received the parcel.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Tactical Diversion Squad of the DEA New Orleans Field Division in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Michael B. Redmann was in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
